


Prevail

by vocal_implant



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Backstory, Businessmen, Cybernetics, Cyberware (Cyberpunk 2077), Frenemies, Jack gets his ass handed to him, Jack is a dick, M/M, Marshal takes no shit, Merc Work, Missing Limbs, Scars, mercenary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24069535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vocal_implant/pseuds/vocal_implant
Summary: Everyone has scars and a merc working for Hyperion is tired of Jack bitching about his
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Marshal Leon (OC)
Kudos: 2





	Prevail

I walked up to Jack's office like usual and sat in the same armchair like usual until he needed me so I opted to polish off the sweet Hyperion sniper rifle he'd "gifted me". The usual getting out of his seat and yelling at the phone was replaced today by Jack blowing his secretary's brains out. Well, me blowing his secretary's brains out from across the room and then telling Jack I'm not cleaning that shit up.

"Hey, Marshal, I gotta say, good job not killing me," Jack chuckled as custodians came in to handle to body.

"Funny you say that because you're paying me to not kill you," I turned the page of my book. "If you stopped paying me, I'd probably shoot you in the leg and leave you. A dead client means no money for me and I'd prefer you alive if you can keep up that salary."

"When I hired you I was expecting you to be less... what the word?"

"Of a dick?"

"Sure. You don't want to know how many times I've nearly killed you."

"And you haven't I assume because I don't sleep and/or I'm good at my job."

"More of the first one."

"And now you see why I'm not dead. I dropped you on Pandora with a gun and a few mags, I give you a week."

"It's unwise to underestimate me."

"It's unwise to underestimate a hungry bandit."

"What about you?"

"Dropped on Pandora with a gun and few mags is how I started. Now look at me, I have a nice little apartment here, six digits a month, a complete Hyperion armory at my disposal, I'm living better than I did on Hephaestus and my dad was the president of Dahl for a hot second."

"You never told me you came from a typical childhood."

"Full of surprises, aren't I? Not every bandit is born a bandit, Jacky," I put my book down. "And not every kid from a corporate family stays in business. Well, normal trade and business. I'm gonna go get a drink from the bar. You know how to find me."

I took the stairs down a few floors to the executive bar. Helios reminded me too much of home but I'll admit it's grown on me. I sat on one of the stools and rested my head on the counter.

"What can I get for you," a bot came up to the counter. 

"How much would it piss you off if I made my own drink?" I took my glasses off, rubbing my face.

I'll never get used to feeling metal every time I touch my own skin.

"Sir, we prohibit patrons-" I cut the bot off with a mantis blade in the hard drive.

I went over the counter and started putting together vodka with a lavender syrup. I looked up to see Jack walking over.

"Destroyed a bot already?" he sat across from me.

"I just wanted a lavender vodka but the bots always fuck it up," I took a sip from my glass. "You want anything while I'm here?"

"Old fashion since you're offering," Jack shrugged.

"Gonna at least give me a tip or something?" I got set a cold glass on the counter and began making his drink.

"I do an extra drop of the bitters, if you'd be so kind."

I made his specification and went back around to sit next to Jack. 

"No half bad," he hummed.

"You seem off."

"I'm tired. And a good bit of my body hurts."

"Replace half your body with cybernetics, you won't feel anything anymore because all your nerve endings will be dead from over stimulation."

"How many surgeries have you had?"

"Four, six if you consider my forearms separate. I don't even know why I still wear glasses, I have implants to fix my sight."

"Why do you even have so many mods? I get your eyes and sure, your arms are useful but I don't get why you got the neural link and half your neck replaced and all that jazz."

"Augmentation is augmentation, Jack. Yours just makes you pretty," I shrugged.

Jack seemed to tense up at the mention of his face. He lightly bit his lip, almost in an angry way.

He grasped my metallic wrist, squeezing the panels, "If you want to talk about, I'm a surprisingly good listener," I removed his hand from my wrist.

Jack glanced at me from the corner of his eye before giving my a light nod and getting up. I followed him back to his office before he punched me in the jaw.The recoil was enough to move me but not to knock me bad too far.

"Never a good idea to punch the man with the metal arms," I swung around and made a symmetrical strike on Jack.

He was knocked to the tiled floor and the corner of his mask was cracked with bits sticking into his skin and blood dripping down his chin. Jack looked up as I crouched down and delicately began removing the porcelain from his skin, noticing a dark scar on his face. 

"I'm sorry," I sighed, putting pressure on the cuts.

He didn't say a word as I began removing the face plate. and exposing his disfigurement. His face was almost identical to the mask besides the Vault Rune scarring his face. His working eye was an azure blue and the other was white and dead.

"I was really handsome before this shit," he tried to chuckle. "I had two different colored eyes, a nice smile, chiseled but not too chiseled. Do you have any scar as bad as this? I highly doubt it."

I kicked Jack over as he clutched his bleeding face.

"You know I was beautiful once too, right?" I huffed. "I had a husband, Jack. And then I lost my arms. I lost my arms and I couldn't work, I was useless, I saved up some money to get cybernetics but he left with our daughter before I got them fixed. I used to just be a typical guy. I was an astrophysicist, I'll have you know. I was normal guy with glasses and the white lab coat and no social skills. So I stopped caring for myself, my work stopped being theoretical and safe. So much so, I blew a chunk out of my neck and I became more metal. I decided to get my eyes fixed, so I did. I replaced my arms with new ones, I left and came to Pandora."

Jack looked up at me somewhere between surprise and hate.

"I'm part machine now. Yeah, augmentations are augmentations but I want my family back. Even if I have to be reminded half of me is robotic, I want to see Kassandra grow up. I want to have morning sex with Richard when we decide we're taking the day off. We all have scars and damage, but you don't see me bitching about it. I try to get through it, I have a laugh knowing my vocal tract is only functional by wires and artificial muscles helping me. I smile, aware that the only reason I'm not paralyzed from the neck down is because of a vertebrae made of steel. I don't sleep because the nightmares of them leaving don't let me. I don't love anyone, I don't have sex with anyone because I'm still faithful to Richard. I've felt pain beyond anything you can imagine but I fight. I do the job and I make money and I pray to every deity in the borderlands I'll get my family back."

I picked up my book and sighed looking at Jack before shooting him in the leg. His scream was more in sadness than anger.

"Our business is done. I'm sparing your life because I considered you my friend in some way, shape or form."

I dropped the gun by Jack and walked away.

"Marshal, don't leave, please," he tried to pull himself up. "I know you're heartbroken, I know you've had your life ripped away. But please don't leave like everyone else. I've lost too many friends to my own ego."

I rubbed my forehead.

"Marshal."

"Fine," I sighed. "Don't make me regret this."

Jack lunged at me and wrapped his hands around my neck. I hit the ground, trying to stab him with my blades. Jack held a hand around my neck, holding my wrist down.

"Friend, huh?" he smirked. "We all have sob stories and scars, kiddo."

"I wonder why they all left," I got a hand on his neck and kicked him away.

Jack and I both drew guns at each other, "Tell me, your ex-husband, what was he like?"

"Surprisingly like you when you aren't killing people because they fucked up your coffee order," I kicked the gun out of his hand.

"What parts are similar?" he rushed me, pulling out a knife.

"Funny, smart as hell, ruthless but within reason," I dodged his knife and blocked it with my arm. "Nice hairstyle."

"You think it's nice?" Jack tried to hold himself against an armchair.

"Dye your white streaks, they make you look older than you are," I closed up my arms. "You're in no position to fight."

"Piss off."

"I'm serious, sit the fuck down, I shot you in the leg. No amount of adrenaline can stop blood loss."

He was clearly exhausted and his adrenaline was wearing thin. He tried to make another move but I reacted my slamming him into the flooring. Jack glared at me as I cut off a strand of curtain fabric while he laid there. I cut the fabric in half, one part tying Jack's hands behind his back and the other to put pressure on his leg.

"Don't give me that look," I sat across from him.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you," he sighed. "But first a few of your friends. Then I plan to have a lovely time with Richard. Don't worry, I have some standards so Kassandra will go painlessly. Then you, and hear me when I say, I plan to make you suffer. The human body can take a lot of torture, the mind isn't as strong though."

"You won't dare lay a finger on Richard, nor touch a single hair or Kassandra's head because you realize that I know Hyperion and I will bring you down, inside and out. I don't need friends, everything I need is right up in here," I tapped on my head. "You probably won't bleed out before someone finds you."

I cut off some of the excess from Jack's bonds as he made promises I doubt he would keep.

"I'm going to tear you limb from limb, Marshal. I will fucking find-" I gagged him with the fabric.

"See you in hell, Jacky," I gave him a sly little wave and walked out.

Today was a good day. Yeah.

A really good day.


End file.
